The standards-based education reform surged in the 1990s with the onset of The National Educational Goals (3) devised in 1994 and has been continually progressing since then with the recent addition of the No Child Left Behind Act. This reform developed a set of standards for what students should learn in each subject in each grade.(1) Educators then went about incorporating the standards into the curriculum and developing new ways to teach the material. This reform came about because the government wanted one standard way to measure the success of all students so they could see if the money being put into the education system was paying off. Also, many officials felt pressured to find a way for American kids to keep up with their peers in Western Europe and Japan.
What We Believed Before
Before the standards-based education reform, education was based on teacher centered instruction,(2) and a curriculum based on each school’s assessment of the students’ need with the intent of taking a student as far, academically, as they could go. Teachers were able to teach what they wanted and what they each thought was important. Teachers graded their students' performance compared to that of his or her classmates.(4) Education was based on the idea that students could not learn unless they were ready to learn.
What We Believed After
Once the standards-based education reform began to take shape, emphasis was shifted to student centered instruction. Government officials liked the reform because it supplied the leverage needed to hold learners and educational programs accountable for learning. Due to the reform, the educational ideaology became that high standards result in higher success and that every student was capable of reaching proficiency. Grading became more focused on the standards of excellence which included pre-determined objections, contracts and professional standards.
How Schools Still Act with the Old Belief
As with every change, there are some that are resistant to follow. Grading becomes a difficult task due to the continuous improvement expected from the students. Teachers used to the previous grading system find it difficult to switch or even combine the new and the old, sometimes resulting in inaccurate standards. Some teachers also have difficulties implementing the new standards into their curriculum because they feel that their lessons are teaching the correct material.
The standards-based education reform surged in the 1990s with the onset of The National Educational Goals (3) devised in 1994 and has been continually progressing since then with the recent addition of the No Child Left Behind Act. This reform developed a set of standards for what students should learn in each subject in each grade.(1) Educators then went about incorporating the standards into the curriculum and developing new ways to teach the material. This reform came about because the government wanted one standard way to measure the success of all students so they could see if the money being put into the education system was paying off. Also, many officials felt pressured to find a way for American kids to keep up with their peers in Western Europe and Japan.
What We Believed Before
Before the standards-based education reform, education was based on teacher centered instruction,(2) and a curriculum based on each school’s assessment of the students’ need with the intent of taking a student as far, academically, as they could go. Teachers were able to teach what they wanted and what they each thought was important. Teachers graded their students' performance compared to that of his or her classmates.(4) Education was based on the idea that students could not learn unless they were ready to learn.What We Believed After
Once the standards-based education reform began to take shape, emphasis was shifted to student centered instruction. Government officials liked the reform because it supplied the leverage needed to hold learners and educational programs accountable for learning. Due to the reform, the educational ideaology became that high standards result in higher success and that every student was capable of reaching proficiency. Grading became more focused on the standards of excellence which included pre-determined objections, contracts and professional standards.How Schools Still Act with the Old Belief
As with every change, there are some that are resistant to follow. Grading becomes a difficult task due to the continuous improvement expected from the students. Teachers used to the previous grading system find it difficult to switch or even combine the new and the old, sometimes resulting in inaccurate standards. Some teachers also have difficulties implementing the new standards into their curriculum because they feel that their lessons are teaching the correct material.Sources
Standards-based education (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standards-based_education_reform
Traditional edcuation (2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_education
The National Education Goals (3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goals_2000
Center for Teaching Excellence (4) http://www.cte.uiuc.edu/dme/exams/ACG.html#sec2
Image Sources
Pencil girl http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3070175/site/newsweek/from/RL.3/
Skipping vowels http://www.glasbergen.com/edu.html